Requirements and application process for an initial Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse credential.
Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC)Find more information about the following programs in the new Scholarships section of our website.
You may be eligible for a full scholarship to complete an associate degree and an integrated Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC) program available at 15 community colleges statewide.
The CASAC is intended for individuals who provide direct clinical care services and substance use disorder counseling, including:
To become a CASAC, you must:
All stated requirements are verified in the application process. The complete list of the CASAC qualifications and requirements, as well as the full course curriculum, can be found in the CASAC application instructions and forms page.
If you are a CASAC applicant who holds an Associate's, Bachelor's or Master's Degree in an approved Human Services fields , or are a student pursuing any of these degrees, some of the course work associated with your degree may be claimed toward satisfying some or all of the CASAC education and training requirements. In order to determine what coursework may be applicable, your college transcript(s) should be submitted with your application.
In addition, if you hold a degree in an approved Human Services field, you may be able to
substitute your degree for a portion of work experience.
Anthropology
Art/Dance Therapy
Audiology
Behavioral Science
Child Development/Family Relations
Community Mental Health
Chemical Dependence Administration
Counseling/Guidance
Criminal Justice
Divinity/Religion/Theology
Drama Therapy
Education
Forensic Psychology
Gerontology
Health Administration
Health Education
Music Therapy
Nursing/Medicine
Nutrition
Occupational Therapy
Pastoral Counseling
Physical Therapy
Psychology
Public Administration
Public Health
Recreational Therapy
Rehabilitation Counseling
Social Work
Sociology
Special Education
Speech Pathology
Vocational Counseling
For all of the CASAC Application requirements, please review the CASAC Application Instructions & Forms page.
The first step in the credentialing process is the submission of a CASAC application to the OASAS Credentialing Unit.
Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis, are reviewed in the order they are received, and will remain active for five years from the date of the first initial review.
To submit your application, please visit the Credentialing Portal at https://credentialing.oasas.ny.gov and select “Apply for a Credential” to start the application process.
To access the portal application submission function, you will need to register using a valid my.ny.gov ID. If you need to create an ID, please go to NY.gov ID Login V4 and select the “Create an Account” link. Please note that any existing, valid my.ny.gov ID in your name can be used, e.g., if you have an ID that you use for NYS DMV, this ID will also provide you access to the Credentialing Portal.
If you need to request a paper application, please email the Credentialing Unit at [email protected] .
Please note in addition to the $100 application processing fee, there is a $50 charge to have a paper application processed. Please include a check or money order in the amount of $150 with your paper application submission. After your paper application is initially processed, all additional documentation must be uploaded to your application on the portal.
It is imperative that you keep your email address and addresses up to date. Access the Credentialing Portal to update your address at any time. The Credentialing Unit will notify you via email when you have new communications on the portal, therefore; it is also important that you have a current email address on record.
The OASAS Credentialing Unit will review your application to determine which requirements have been satisfied and which may be remaining. A review summary outlining what requirements have been approved and which are still outstanding will be published on the portal. Use the review summary to determine the remaining requirements you need to submit for review. You can submit and upload items at any time during the five-year application period without additional fees. An updated review summary will be posted with each new submission.
When you are eligible to take the exam, you will be notified and given the registration information. When you are eligible to receive your CASAC-Trainee (CASAC-T) or CASAC-Provisional (CASAC-P) certificate you will also be notified.
If you are unable to complete all the requirements for a CASAC by the end of the five-year application period, your application and CASAC-T/CASAC-P, will expire. Applicants who are exam eligible prior to their five-year expiration date will be eligible for a one-time, three-year extension for a $100 fee.
Those who are not eligible for an extension or have already been issued an extension that has expired may submit a new application and processing fee. However, the CASAC-T and CASAC-P certificates are a one-time issuance and cannot be issued a second time.
The CASAC-Trainee and CASAC-Provisional certificate is issued to notify an employer that a CASAC applicant has completed a specified level of education and training towards the CASAC but whose scope of practice is limited by standards established by the Office. Please see the Scope of Practice for further information. The requirements for each certificate are as follows:
350 clock hours and mandatory one-time requirements of the required education and training
4,000 hours of appropriate work experience and the 85 clock hours in Section 1 of the education and training related to knowledge of substance use disorders and all mandatory one-time education requirements .
To obtain the CASAC-Trainee or CASAC-Provisional certification, you must submit a CASAC application with the above-required documentation and on review and approval by OASAS you will be given information on scheduling fingerprinting for a background check, after which your CASAC-T or CASAC-P may be issued. You cannot identify yourself as a CASAC-T or CASAC-P or function at that level in an OASAS Certified or funded setting until you receive your certificate from OASAS. Your CASAC Trainee/Provisional certificate will be effective from the date it is issued by OASAS until the end of the five-year period that your application is active. If you are exam eligible prior to your expiration date you will be eligible for a one-time, three-year extension.
We are excited to announce that the Alcohol & Drug Counselor (ADC) Examination is now available in both English and Spanish for our candidates. Test takers will be able toswitch between English and Spanish during the examination. Additionally, special accommodations can be made for any other language upon request.
The IC&RC computer-based exam for Alcohol and Drug Counselors consists of 150 multiple-choice questions derived from the Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ADC) tasks identified in the IR&RC ADC Candidate Guide. This exam is offered weekly at secure locations worldwide with monitoring proctors.
Effective March 2023, Alcohol Drug Counselor (ADC) domains and examinations were updated as follows:
EXAMINATION STEPS
After approval of the candidate's application and pre-registration for the exam, ISO Quality Testing will send the candidate an email with further instructions to complete the registration process. Candidates will be able to choose their preferred location, date, and time for taking the test. Once candidates complete the exam, they will receive a tentative score at the testing center. The official results will be sent via email in approximately four weeks. Candidates must wait for their certificate to be issued before they can consider themselves officially credentialed after passing the examination.
Candidates who do not pass the examination will remain eligible to retest once every 90 days during the active period of their application. There is a non-refundable exam fee of $245 each time the examination is taken. Candidates who fail the exam three times must take an OASAS approved CASAC Foundations or Ready to Test course before they will be eligible to register for the exam again.
Eligible examination candidates will receive an Examination Registration Form on the Credentialing Portal. This form includes information on requesting a reasonable accommodation.
All fees must be made in the form of a check or money order and made payable to “NYS OASAS”. All fees are non-refundable.